[PHOTOS] Bukit Mertajam MP Comes To Homeless Family's Aid After Landlord Kicked Them Out
The lawmaker even bought the children toys and clothes for Hari Raya.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 05 Apr 2021, 03:02 PM
Bukit Mertajam member of parliament (MP) Steven Sim Chee Keong has offered help to a family of 11 after they were evicted by their landlord for failing to pay the rent
In a Facebook post published yesterday, 4 April, Sim shared that he was supposed to meet DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng that morning, but he suddenly received news that a family in his constituency in Penang had just been kicked out by their landlord and had no place to go.
"I went there straight and found that they were already packed and sitting outside the dead-end street because they had nowhere to go," Sim related.
"Their mother — named Ros — has 10 children, with the youngest child being only three years old. She sat outside the house crying, thinking about the fate of her children."
"I then assured her that before the sun sets today, I will ensure there will be a roof over their heads."
Before getting a place for Ros and her family, Sim brought them to buy various necessities in a hypermarket
The lawmaker brought them to Tesco in Bukit Mertajam. In the end, Sim bought two trolleys worth of essentials for Ros and her family.
"The cashier was taken aback (by the number of items we bought), thinking that we were running a wholesale business. Hopefully, there will be enough supplies for Ramadan until the end of Syawal," Sim said.
As they were leaving the hypermarket, Sim caught Ros' children looking at toys in a store.
"They (the children) were silent, but I knew they desired for the toys," Sim said.
"I have small children (too). Every time they see a toy store, they will surely ask me to bring them there."
The Bukit Mertajam MP bought the children their favourite toys. In a photo uploaded by Sim on his Facebook page, Sim can be seen teaching one of Ros' boys how to ride a bicycle in the toy store.
Sim also treated them to a meal at McDonald's. But he was surprised by how quiet they were at the fast-food restaurant.
Sim thought that maybe the children did not like McDonald's, however, it turns out that they never had McDonald's before.
"Apparently, everyone had never eaten McDonald's so they didn't know what to order. Ok, no problem, pak cik helped them to order. Each one of them got a set of Happy Meal. Pak cik and Ros ate a burger."
Prior to that, Sim also bought them clothes for the upcoming Hari Raya celebration.
"The mum said there is no need to buy for her; just buy for her children enough. The mum had never bought clothes for Hari Raya before," Sim said.
"Hence, I told the kids that this time, we must buy a new pair of clothes for mum. They made a pact to choose clothes for their mum."
The lawmaker also bought a tablet for one of the sisters, who is currently in secondary school.
"Pak cik will make sure that the siblings will continue studying even though they are in a difficult time. Only education can change our destiny," he said.
After a shopping spree, they moved to a temporary home and put all the groceries in the fridge
Sim related that the groceries filled the fridge to the point that one of the shelves broke due to the weight of it.
When the mother asked how much is the rent, Sim told her not to worry as he would bear the cost for now until she gets a government house.
At the time of writing, the post has gone viral with over 9,500 shares and 54,000 likes
Over 10,000 netizens left comments to thank the Bukit Mertajam MP for lending Ros a helping hand.
"Good job, YB. Thank you for taking care of them. Hope they stay strong," lauded a netizen.
"It would be great if every YB is like you. Others always argue with one another," commented another person, while one said, "It is the responsibility of all YB to help the people regardless of what position you hold."
